This invention relates to the management of scheduled user events when the user is absent. Events to be managed are emails with a scheduled due date or follow-up, meetings, chat appointments and instant messages with scheduled due dates.
Calendaring and collaboration tools provide the ability to schedule events comprising meetings, appointments, tasks or the like. Using the conventional calendar tools a user may organize and schedule meetings on one or more calendars and update or modify the information associated with the scheduled event. In addition, the user may check the availability of other users before scheduling a meeting with them. Finally, conventional calendar tools permit the user to view his/her scheduled appointments by the day, week, or month.
Using the tools described a user may schedule a meeting, assign a task, schedule an online meeting or delivery due date, send an email, or reschedule a meeting. It is conceivable and likely to schedule a meeting or appointment with a friend or associate for a future date and the person with whom the appointment is made becomes unavailable for the appointment due to a vacation, scheduling change, business trip or unplanned emergency. Before the person becomes unavailable, manually notifying or managing uses participating in the scheduled the appointments or meetings of the unavailability is cumbersome and error prone.